Carstensz Pyramid, New Guinea

Carstensz Pyramid is one of the Seven Summits. At 4884 Meters (16,023'), it is low compared to the rest, however it is the most technical and quite difficult to access.

Access requires a week's trek through the New Guinea jungle to reach its base. The route requires many pitches of rock climbing up its gullies and corners to reach the ridge. Once there, you can either rappel into a notch and climb out via a 5.8 crack - or pull yourself across on an airy Tyrolean traverse. After all of that, it is still about 2 hours of climbing along the ridge crest to the summit. Descent is reversing the route which makes it a long day!

Our trips to New Guinea not only provide climbing on Carstensz and Ngga Pullu (the second highest peak in the area which is covered by an equatorial glacier), but also provides a cultural experience you will never forget. During the week-long trek to the base, hiking from village to village, the native Papuans we hire to help as our porters in the region (the Moni) quickly become our friends. Their good humor and personalities will have you laughing and sharing stories with them. Please visit our Carstensz 2006 & 2009 web pages to see more about the Moni and our trip.

We are currently scheduling another trip to Carstensz for January/February 2010 for a very limited number of guests. Please contact us if you have interest in joining us.

Thumbs up on reaching the ridge, Carstensz Pyramid